Affiliate Interview Series: Joueraupoker

[GPWA Dan]

Age: 23
Hometown: Marseille, South of France
Living in: Malta
Favorite food: French food
Must-read book: What Would Google Do? by Jeff Jarvis
Web sites: www.joueraupoker.fr, www.pokerenligne.com, www.pokergratuit.net, www.blackjack.it, www.reglesdupoker.fr, www.machineasous.com, www.jeudepoker.net

You worked as a sports betting affiliate from 2006 through the end of 2009. Could you tell us about that? What kind of sites did you operate, and where were they targeted?

Yes, I started in 2006 as a sports betting affiliate. I created Paris-sportifs.net (means “sports betting”) and Pronostics.fr. (means “forecasts”) with my friend and associate Maxime Batel. We won many affiliate challenges organized by Unibet.com and Bwin.com. In 2009 we founded with other affiliates the company Top Affiliate Publishing Ltd, specializing in French sports betting portals. Then came the poker portals network.

You are now operating a poker affiliate network. Why did you choose to pursue this venture? What’s different about operating a poker affiliate network vs. operating as an affiliate?

Domain name is a weighty factor for ranking. That is why when I target a competitive niche I prefer to use a specific domain name. Our domain names portfolio targets all the major French poker keywords. That is why we have many portals. The second reason is to diversify; generating revenue from many Web sites is safer.

Why does your company have a French-facing poker site and an Italian-facing blackjack site? Why did you target those niches?

Because I'm French! France is one of the main markets in the online gambling industry, so I stayed focused on it, and also on Italian niches because there are many fluent Italian speakers in Malta. So it is easy to find people. Why these niches? Because CPA is higher in poker and casino niches than in sports betting, and also because I play both of these games and know them well.

What did you do before you became an online gambling affiliate?

I started in the affiliate business at 19, right after receiving my Bachelor’s degree.

How long was it before you started making money?

I made hundreds of euros during the first nine months but I really started earning money one year after I launched my Web sites, when one of my sites went to the first position on Google for a competitive keyword.

What do your friends and family think of your work as an affiliate?

Making money on the Internet is not so common in France. It's a bit difficult explaining the technical workings of affiliate programs to people who aren’t in the business. A lot of people cannot imagine that it is really possible to make money online. I try to advise my friends and my family on how to do SEO, which is a powerful skill that can help anyone start or grow all kinds of businesses.

What’s the most difficult thing about operating your sites?

Creating unique content and keeping it updated on more than 10 Web sites takes time.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the industry?

The keys are SEO and quality content.

What prompted you to join the GPWA? Has being a member helped you in your work?

I was drawn by the affiliate community and the knowledge offered in the forums. Participating in exchanges in private forums with trusted affiliates has been very useful to me.

If you had to pick five keys to success as an affiliate, what would they be?

1. Buy a good domain name; it is one of the most important factors in my SEO strategy.
2. Use WordPress, the most-used content management system (CMS); it’s easy to install and offers many powerful SEO plugins.
3. Write quality content, because to be first on Google you have to be the reference.
4. Learn SEO, to get free traffic.
5. Be patient.

Last June, France opened up its online gambling market. Within a few short months France’s licensing authority, ARJEL, had licensed dozens of sites from more than 30 operators. What impact has the new regime had on your operations? Please discuss.

There are 3 main implications for affiliates:

1. Taxes are now higher than in all others countries, so that impacts operators’ revenue. CPA and revenue share have been cut in half.
2. Opening of Adword. Before June, nobody could advertise on poker keywords. All traffic could benefit from the natural search results. Now a significant amount of traffic is redirected to Adword's advertisers.
3. Conversion is much more complicated, because poker rooms do not validate CPA right after the first deposit. Players have to send their ID or a copy of their passport plus their bank details to validate their accounts.

What in your opinion are the advantages of having a dedicated server/hosting company for one’s sites rather than using less expensive “dedicated” IP addresses?

You can have dedicated IP addresses on a shared server. It is less expensive, which is why a lot of bad-quality Web sites are using it. With a shared server, you don't know what your neighbors are doing. That's why I prefer a dedicated server.

Is it in fact true that Google looks more favorably on a site with a dedicated server?

In SEO you are rarely 100 percent sure, but here I can list some possible reasons why this may be true:

- A dedicated server is a sign of stability, seriousness, independence.
- Google likes to provide content from different sources (there are many domains, so why not different IPs?).
- If you choose your own server you can configure it yourself to have a speedy Web site, and speed is a factor in Google's algorithm.
- Do you want to be associated/localized with thousands of Made for AdSense or bad Web directory sites with very poor content? I don't, so I do not use shared servers because that's where they are hosted.

How important is SEO to the continuing success of your sites? And regarding keyword density, how much is OK, and how much is too much?

SEO is the most important factor to be a successful affiliate. Regarding keyword density, personally I do not check that anymore. I think it's enough to have keywords in the good semantics html tagDo you use Facebook, Twitter or other social networks to promote your sites? If so, which ones and how? Yes, we use Facebook and Twitter. Fans and followers receive updated news about poker and can gain access to private freeroll passwords.

Time management is one of the biggest issues facing affiliates. What time management tips can you offer your fellow webmasters?

Do not waste time checking your affiliate report and your ranks in Google every day. Stay focused on operations to grow your traffic. If you have traffic, money will follow.

What’s your favorite vacation or getaway destination, and why?

My favorite spots are surfing destinations: Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

If you could have one “superpower,” what would it be?

To be unbreakable, to do extreme sports such as BASE jumping, freeride snowboarding...

What’s your all-time favorite TV show?

Watching Olympique de Marseille football team play.

If you were starring in a movie, who would be your co-star?

Eric Cantona, “Eric the King” – he is a brilliant actor.

One thing that nobody knows about you?

My alarm clock can ring for hours before I wake up.

If you could have dinner with any five people, alive or dead, who would they be? And what would be on the menu?

Louis XIV, Ronaldinho, Bob Marley, Andy Irons and Snoop Dogg. We would eat sardines.

[Simmo!]

Louis XIV, Ronaldinho, Bob Marley, Andy Irons and Snoop Dogg. We would eat sardines.

LOL.

Nice interview. Good advice on the diversification aspect too Benjamin

[wagerjunction]

Nice interview. Liked the final answer too. Although I might have some reservations about Eric Cantona as a brilliant actor Brilliant footballer on the other hand - YES! Unquestionably. Beyond brilliant - dazzling actually.

Quick question btw Was the original interview done in French and translated into english for our benefit?